Consumers' Association

Assessment Criteria

1. Is the information factually correct?
This is evaluated by three experts per website. They have judged whether the information is in accordance with Dutch standards, whether it is up-to-date, whether it is clearly indicated when you should consult a doctor, whether it is in context (e.g. by indicating how often an illness occurs) and finally whether it is objective.

2. Is the information complete?
This is evaluated by three experts. They have judged whether the illnesses discussed are deemed acceptable within a general health related website or specific self-care website.

3. Is there information given relating to treatments and medicines?
Many health-related websites give very little information about treatments. Therefore we specifically requested this item. The three experts have paid attention to whether reference has been made to various treatments, whether the information is objective and whether the disadvantages or limitations of the treatments are supplied.

4. Is the language clear?
This is evaluated by consumers who have visited the website. They have searched for the answer to three health-related questions. Based on their experiences they have judged the use of language.

5. Is the website easy to use?
This is evaluated by consumers who have visited the website.

6. Is the layout clear?
This is evaluated by consumers who have visited the website.

7. Is the source of information clearly stated? (sender, reference, date) - 5 sub-criteria

  • The sender (person or organization) of the information or a contact address is clearly stated
    It is important to know who is responsible for the information given. A contact address offers the possibility to ask for more information. Just offering an email address is insufficient.
  • The medical qualifications of the author
    On the Internet, many different medical qualifications are used. In The Netherlands the qualifications are Doctor or Pharmacist. In countries where English is spoken, there are General Practitioners (GP's) and Medical Doctors (MD's). Besides these, there are also less trustworthy or even invented titles. It is also acceptable that the author can be stated as being a patient or expert with experience in a field. What is important is that the reader can better judge the worth of the information by knowing who the author is.
  • Type of Organization (profit or non-profit)
    Many different types of organizations supply information on the Internet, such as manufacturers, patient organizations and pharmacies. It is important to consider what sort of organization has supplied the information. Where the supplier of the information is unknown, it is explicitly stated whether it is a for-profit or non-profit organization. Where the organization is known (pharmaceutical companies or professional organizations), this does not have to be explicitly stated.
  • Date
    There is a lot of out-of-date information on the Internet. By using dates, which indicate when the information was last updated, it is possible to judge whether the information offered is recent or not. Such a date does not however make explicitly clear which piece of information has been updated.
  • Clear References
    The references have been so ordered to make them very simple to trace. On the Internet, hyperlinks to the corresponding reference can be used. Another method of referencing sources is, as is commonplace in medical articles: author name, title, medical journal, publication date. Quite often, references are so unclear on the Internet that they are impossible to trace. References are deemed sufficiently clear, if the original source can be traced with only the help of the information given. It is also sufficient if it is simply stated, "This is my own experience".

8. Are the aim and target audience clearly stated ? (2 sub-criteria)

  • Audience
    On the Internet there is information intended for different target audiences (doctors, patients, etc.). If, for example, information is made available for a doctor it is assumed that the reader has a certain basic knowledge. This basic knowledge is thus not supplied in the information. The consequence is that a reader who does not have this basic knowledge can misinterpret the information given.
  • Aim
    The aim of making information available on the Internet varies from giving advice to advertising intended to convince the reader to buy certain medicines. We have ensured that the aim of the information supplied is explicitly stated.